The present invention relates generally to food preparation devices, and more particularly to a digitally controlled, manually actuated clamshell press including left and right upper platen sections which are individually or concurrently movable between loading/unloading and press positions, and are each rotatable into substantially parallel relation with a common lower platen during movement from the loading/unloading position to the press position.
Widely known in the food service industry are various heat press devices which are used to aid in the preparation of various food items. Such presses are often found in those commercial establishments specializing in the preparation of Mexican food and pizzas, and are used in relation to the production of, for example, tortillas, pizza crusts, and other food items (e.g., quesadillas) wherein a quantity of dough is compressed or flattened while simultaneously baked.
Though generally satisfying the intended food preparation function, such prior art presses suffer from various deficiencies which detract from their overall Be utility. More particularly, in certain prior art presses, an upper platen is pivotally connected to a housing so as to be rotatable or pivotable about a single axis, and thus reciprocally movable in an arcuate path toward and away from a stationary lower platen also attached to the housing. However, in these presses, the bottom surface of the upper platen extends angularly relative to the top surface of the lower platen throughout virtually the entire range of motion of the upper platen toward the lower platen, with the bottom and top surfaces not being parallel until they are virtually in direct contact with each other. As will be recognized, this particular path of movement of the upper platen toward the lower platen results in the uneven application of compressive forces to a quantity of dough or food item placed therebetween. In this regard, compressive forces are applied to those portions of the dough or food item disposed closest to the pivot axis prior to such compressive forces being applied to those portions of the dough or food item disposed furthest from the pivot axis. Since the lower and/or upper platens are heated, those portions of the dough or food item disposed closest to the pivot axis will be baked for a longer period time, and thus are more susceptible to burning or scorching. Even in the absence of such burning or scorching, those portions of the dough or food item disposed furthest from the pivot axis tend to be undercooked relative to those portions disposed closest to the pivot axis due to the arcuate movement path of the upper platen toward the lower platen.
Another deficiency with prior art presses lies in the inability to use only a portion of the upper platen for the flattening/baking operation when the size of the food item being prepared does not require the entire available surface area of the bottom surface of the upper platen. Thus, the entire bottom surface must be heated despite only a relatively small portion thereof being utilized for the flattening/baking process. The need to heat the bottom surface of the upper platen in its entirety despite only a small portion thereof being utilized is energy inefficient and cost ineffective. Moreover, the use of a single upper platen to simultaneously flatten/bake multiple quantities of dough or food items is time and energy inefficient due to the resulting xe2x80x9crecoveryxe2x80x9d time needed between each cycle, i.e., the time needed to allow the upper platen to climb back to its prescribed operating temperature. As will be recognized, cycle times for food items prepared through the use of the press could be greatly increased if the upper platen were segregated into separate sections wherein one section could be used in the flattening/baking process while the remaining section is allowed to recover during a simultaneous loading/unloading process in relation to the food item. In prior art presses, the recovery time is also compromised by the manner in which the heating elements are placed relative to the lower platen. The prior art presses would also be more energy efficient if only portions of the upper and lower platens were heated when use of the entire available surface areas thereof is not required.
The present invention overcomes the above-described deficiencies of prior art heat presses by providing a press wherein the upper platen is separated into left and right sections which may be individually or concurrently moved between loading/unloading and press positions relative to a common, stationary lower platen to maximize cycle times. The present press is further configured such that the bottom surface of each of the left and right sections of the upper platen is xe2x80x9cleveledxe2x80x9d to extend in substantially parallel relation to the top surface of the lower platen during the movement of such section toward the lower platen, thus eliminating the uneven application of compressive forces and resultant effects as described above. Moreover, in the present press, heating elements are integrated directly into the lower platen in sections which may be individually or simultaneously activated, with the integration of such heating elements directly into the lower platen substantially reducing recovery times during use of the press. These, and other advantages attendant to the present invention, will be discussed in more detail below.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a manually actuated press. The manually actuated press may comprise a housing having a lower platen attached thereto. The lower platen defines a generally planar top surface. Moreover, at least one upper platen may be placed in mechanical communication with the housing. The at least one upper platen defines a generally plated bottom surface. In the preferred embodiment, there may comprise two upper platens.
In the present press, the at least one upper platen may be translatable with respect to the lower platen in a manner forming a generally parallel relationship between the bottom and top surfaces when within a prescribed distance range therefrom. The prescribed distance range may be between 0.1 to 5 inches, preferably about 2.5 inches. After exceeding the prescribed distance range, the at least one upper platen is rotatable with respect to the lower platen.
In the preferred embodiment, at least one heating element may be embedded in the lower platen. Moreover, the same may be provided within the upper platen. The press of the present invention may include an actuation handle having a center portion connected to the at least one upper platen and a second end connected to the housing. Preferably, the housing comprises a back wall and the second end of the actuation handle is pivotally connected thereat. The actuation handle may be selectively movable between a loading/unloading position and a press position relative to the housing.
There may further comprise a stop member which is attached to the housing. The stop member may be operative to engage the at least one upper platen in a manner causing the bottom surface to be extended in generally perpendicular relation to the top surface when the actuation handle is moved to the loading/unloading position. More specifically, a torsion spring may be cooperatively engaged to the actuation handle and operative to maintain the actuation handle in the loading/unloading position.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a leveling member may be mounted on the at least one upper platen. The leveling member may be configured to facilitate the rotation of the bottom surface into generally parallel relation to the top surface during movement of the actuation handle from the loading/unloading position to the press position. Preferably, the leveling member comprises an elongate linkage having first and second ends. The first end of the elongate linkage may be connected to the leveling member, whereas its second end may be connected to the housing. The second end of the elongate linkage may be pivotally connected at the back wall of the housing.
In the preferred embodiment, the center portion of the actuation handle and the first end of the elongate linkage may be uniformly spaced apart from each other during movement of the actuation handle between the loading/unloading position and the press position. In addition, the second end of the elongate linkage may further be configured to move toward the second end of the actuation handle when moving from the press position to the loading/unloading position. As such, the elongate linkage may crisscross the actuation handle when the loading/unloading position is formed.